Chargers don’t need Melvin Gordon this week, but next week they will

The Chargers will be just fine against the Bengals, but they will need Melvin Gordon back next week when they play the Chiefs.

Melvin Gordon, the star running back for the Los Angeles Chargers, once again won’t be taking the field as his team takes on the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 14.

Gordon has been out for the last few games with an injured knee. But despite his absence, the Chargers have been cruising along. They have won their last two, are 9-3 overall, and they pulled off a somewhat surprising upset over the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field last Sunday night.

Clearly, the Chargers are capable of scraping by without the former Pro Bowler. Once again in Week 14, they will be just fine without him as they are taking on a measly Cincinnati Bengals team that is without quarterback Andy Dalton and star wide receiver A.J. Green.

That won’t be a very tall task for Los Angeles to overcome. The real challenge will begin the following week, when the Chargers face the AFC-leading Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium, followed by a pair of tough games to close out the season — all of which could impact playoff seeding for the Chargers.

The Chargers will need Gordon back for those games, as well as the playoffs. They won’t stand much chance without him.

No team in the AFC has been better in 2018 than Kansas City, who sit pretty atop the conference at 10-2. The Chiefs have only lost two games this year, one against the New England Patriots and one against the Los Angeles Rams, and they are a perfect 5-0 at Arrowhead.

If the Chargers get Gordon back for that game, they might have a puncher’s chance for an upset, especially coupled with the fact that quarterback Philip Rivers is having one of the best seasons of his career. But even with a healthy Gordon, Los Angeles will be a heavy underdog. Without him, the game could turn into a one-sided affair.